• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

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    Posted 08/15/2025
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    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

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    Addendum: 01/10/2026
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    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

Search results

  1. Z

    Anoles & Other Small Insectivorous Lizards: Care Notes & Important Supplies

    Hi All, The Green or Carolina Anole, Anolis carolinensis, has introduced generations of herp enthusiasts to reptile-keeping. Small, active, and willing to breed in captivity, this handsome arboreal lizard makes a wonderful pet. Although associated with “beginners”, Green Anoles are complex...
  2. Z

    Reptile Care; US Native Snakes, Turtles; Photo: Cute Kid with Snapping Turtle

    Hi All, This article covers the care of several native reptiles that often live in close proximity to people. As a result, they sometimes wind up in yards, basements, window wells and other such places. Most are also seen in pet stores. Often, folks are tempted to keep such reptiles as pets...
  3. Z

    Designing an Ideal Horned Frog Terrarium

    Hi All, The beautifully-colored and charmingly-pugnacious Argentine Horned Frog, Ceratophrys ornata, may be the world’s most popular amphibian pet. No matter how many rare and wonderful frogs I encounter, I always save a place for Horned Frogs in the zoo exhibits I manage and in my personal...
  4. Z

    Feeding Rainbowfishes: Insects help Maintain Bright Coloration

    Hi All, Many years ago I established a school of 75 Boezeman’s Australian Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia boesemani) at the Bronx Zoo. The exhibit, which they shared with mangrove snakes, land crabs and crayfishes, made for a stunning display. And although the building also housed proboscis monkeys...
  5. Z

    Skink Surprise: Young Hatch Early when Eggs are Disturbed

    Hi All, Herpetologists studying Australia’s Delicate Skink (Lampropholis delicata) discovered, quite by accident, that this species’ embryos somehow sense danger when their eggs are disturbed. In response, the tiny lizards erupt en masse – even if they are not quite ready to hatch! Also...
  6. Z

    Frog & Toad care: Setting up the Terrarium, Useful Products

    Hi All, From tiny “living jewels” to hulking giants capable of consuming bats, snakes and rodents, the world’s nearly 6,000 frog species present an amazing array of pet-keeping opportunities. With proper care, some may live for decades (to age 50 in the case of the African Bullfrog), and quite...
  7. Z

    Frog Facts; Natural History & Behavior Notes for Pet Owners

    Hi All, Those with an interest in frogs and toads will never be bored…among the 6,200 known species are found some of the world’s most fascinating and unusual animals. Many amphibian pets may, with proper care, live for 10, 20 or even 50 years, and can be wonderful animals to keep and observe...
  8. Z

    Four Newly Discovered Arboreal Pit Vipers

    Hi All, Guifarro’s Palm Pit Viper (Bothriechis guifarroi), recently described as a new venomous reptile species in the journal Zookeys, may already be in danger of extinction. In an attempt to draw attention to its plight, the newfound snake has been named after Mario Guifarro, a...
  9. Z

    Day Gecko Diets: Providing Variety

    Hi All, Day Geckos, those brilliantly-clad gems of the lizard world, are growing in popularity in zoos and private collections alike. Small wonder – the 52 described species, all placed in the genus Phelsuma, are active by day (of course!) and, when properly kept, quite willing to breed and...
  10. Z

    New Scorpions Described: 1 near Tuscon, Another in the Andes

    Hi All, Approximately 2,000 scorpion species have been described, but most arachnologists believe that many more await discovery. Few, however, expected an unknown species to turn up within sight of a major city in the USA. But that is what happened earlier this year, and the discovery was...
  11. Z

    Snake Fungal Disease: Emerging Epidemic Feared

    Hi All, Recently I reported on a study that documented declines of 50-90% in 17 populations of 8 snake species (please see article linked below). These findings brought to mind the global amphibian decline that was first uncovered in 1990. Since then, an emerging disease caused by the fungus...
  12. Z

    Salamanders & Cell Regeneration: Key to Limb Regeneration Discovered

    As anyone who has attempted to lift one by its tail knows, salamanders and newts can discard these body parts with no ill effect. In time, we learned that they can regenerate not only tails, but also heart, brain and spinal cord tissue…parts of any organ, it turns out, can be regrown...
  13. Z

    The Ideal leopard Gecko Terrarium: a Zookeeper's Thoughts

    Hi All, Leopard Geckos (Eublepharis macularius) possess distinct personalities, accept handling, are easy to breed, do not require UVB radiation and are content with modestly-sized terrariums – surely as close to a “perfect reptile pet” as one can imagine. However, while some have reached ages...
  14. Z

    Incubating Reptile Eggs: a simple way to monitor substrate moisture content

    A simple technique I used for many years at the Bronx Zoo http://bit.ly/XtsfH9
  15. Z

    Giant Centipedes: Experiences with Centipede Bites & Behavior

    Hi All, Whether you are considering the massive Amazonian Giant Centipede (Scolopendra gigantea) or the tiniest native species, the keeping of these fascinating but potentially dangerous creatures should not be undertaken lightly. During the course of my career in zoo-keeping and field...
  16. Z

    Green Anole Intelligence: Researchers Shocked by Lizard Brainpower

    Hi All, I’ve been fascinated by Green Anoles, Anolis carolinensis, since childhood – way back when they were sold as “American Chameleons”. Although they are often ignored by experienced keepers, I have long featured Green Anoles and related species in zoo exhibits, where they never failed to...
  17. Z

    Giant Snapping Turtles; Size Records (Survey of 84,000)

    Hi All, Stories concerning immense Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina) abound wherever this impressive reptile occurs, but most are difficult to substantiate. I’ve kept and observed this species from childhood. Once I embarked upon a career in herpetology, I had the good fortune of meeting...
  18. Z

    Keeping the African Freshwater Butterfly Fish

    Hi All, In habits, appearance, and evolutionary history, the African Butterfly Fish, Pantodon buchholzi, is one of the most unusual of all aquarium species. Yet despite having been in the trade for over 100 years, this “freshwater flying fish” (a misnomer, see below) gets little attention...
  19. Z

    Venomus Pythons? New research Benefits Snakebite Victims

    Hi All, In recent years, researchers have found toxins in a wide array of snakes and lizards formerly believed to be harmless…even the Bearded Dragon is not above suspicion (please see below), but venomous pythons? While working at the Bronx Zoo, I was several times called upon to assist in...
  20. Z

    Best Pet Frogs (a Zookeeper's Picks)

    Many of the world’s nearly 6,000 frog species make wonderful pets that may live for 10, 20 or even 50 years. Among them we find creatures that glide, brood their eggs in vocal sacs, form lifelong pair bonds and exhibit other fascinating behaviors. While the smallest is barely as large as a...
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